The Walking Dead Review by John Keegan

The Walking Dead 7.16: The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

Written By:Scott M. Gimple, Angela Kang, and Matthew Negrete

Directed By:Greg Nicotero

Once again, the decision to extend the running
time of a season finale for The Walking
Dead sucks some of the life out of the entire situation. And that’s saying a lot, considering that the
story beats are so clearly laid out that the writers had the perfect moments to
sustain a solid hour. Why add so much to
the beginning of the episode that it drags so horribly?

It was quite clear from the start, given how
the previous episode ended, that Negan was coming back to Alexandria with bad
intent. And it was also obvious that
Rick’s unification plan had been revealed to Negan by unknown means. So it was mostly a matter of getting the
story out of its own way and letting the mayhem begin. And that includes all of the hints that Sasha
would factor into the insanity, whose scenes could have been covered in half
the screen time and still been equally effective.

With all the various groups in play, it makes
sense that one of them would consider themselves more loyal to the Saviors than
to the notion of independence. Because
of Rick’s actions, one might have been tempted to believe it would have been
someone from Oceanside. Because of his
cowardice and desire for survival, one might have suspect Gregory. However, logic dictated that the most
startling reversal would be if the group that Rick was handing so many guns
over to would be the one to betray him.
And sure enough, that’s what happened.

Part of the problem is also that Negan’s
introduction was such that the idea of being caught defying him should have
been horrifying. Instead, was there ever
a sense that Rick was about to learn another harsh lesson? Was the setup to Carl’s potential death such
that the audience had any reason to think it might actually take place? The entire scene was shot as if to wink at
the audience and say, “Just wait, you’ll love this next part”. And so of course, it’s all too easy to relax
and wait for the save.

It’s all in the presentation. A truly effective way to bookend the season
would have been to all but replicate the tension and dynamics of the season
premiere. Bringing Team Grimes to the
point of hope, then seemingly dashing it in the worst way possible. Still have the save, but build to the moment
in such a way that salvation seems almost impossible. Granted, the writers were trying their best
to replicate the events of the source material, but this is one area where some
modifications would have made a much greater impact.

Of course, the issue is fairly plain: the
writers can’t kill off Rick, and at this point, anything less makes very little
sense after Negan’s endless litany about what happens if you break the
rules. Literally everyone else has paid
a brutal price for defiance, yet Negan all but goes out of his way to keep Rick
alive. That made sense when Negan wanted
to use Rick as an example for the rest of the community, but that community has
risen up. Killing Rick is Negan’s most
logical next move. Both the source
material and the show stumble to overcome the writers’ requirement that this
not take place.

Despite all of that, once Shiva showed up, the
ensuing violence was a joy to behold.
Maggie’s rise to leadership is wonderful, Ezekiel is exactly as bonkers
as he ought to be, and now the war is on and things have the potential to be a
long more active next season. But even
that triumphant moment is undermined by the road it took to arrive there. Oh, and it’s worth noting: Eugene blatantly
lied to Negan without flinching, which is exactly the kind of sign one would be
looking for if he was playing a long con against the Saviors.

Our Grade:

B-

The Good:

The final battle is highly entertaining, especially when a tiger eats off someone’s face

The Bad:

Sasha’s little interludes never seem to end and culminate in a moment that doesn’t make sense

The lack of any real tension meant that Negan feels more or less toothless

John Keegan aka "criticalmyth", is one of the hosts of the "Critical Myth" podcast heard here on VOG Network's radio feed Monday, Wednesday & Friday. You can follow him on twitter at @criticalmyth

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